Internet Technology Changes Our Lives

Predictably enough for the weekend， the restaurant I entered on Saturday lunchtime was packed， with a long line of diners awaiting available tables. As I took my place at the end of it， I noticed a QR code on my queuing ticket. After scanning it with my smartphone I downloaded an app that kept me informed on my position in the line. Secure in the knowledge I wouldnt lose my place， I decided to take a stroll and browse the shops in the neighborhood until my number was called. The same app enables users to reserve a table， and even to order dishes at home before setting out.

This is just one example of how Internet technology is changing our lives. These days we pay our utilities bills via online transactions. Rather than going to the bank， we make cash transfers and manage our financial affairs through Internet banking. Most daily necessities are purchased online， and when taking a trip we book tickets and also accommodation online. Upon finding that a service or product cannot be accessed via the Internet， however， we immediately lose interest in it. Like it or not， Internet technology is inexorably changing our lives.

Cognizant of the extent to which the Internet is transforming traditional industries， the Chinese government recently launched its Internet Plus action plan. Its purpose is to integrate mobile Internet， cloud computing， big data and the Internet of Things with modern manufacturing； also to encourage healthy development of e-commerce， industrial networks， and Internet banking， and to help Internet companies expand their international presence.

Internet Plus integrates the Internet with traditional industries through online platforms and IT technology. It is expected to enhance economic restructuring， improve peoples livelihoods， and transform government functions. In other words， it is a mode based on “Internet + all business sectors”whereby traditional industries undergo digital transformations and upgrades.

Online shopping is a good example. Converting offline stores to online outlets constitutes reforming the traditional retail mode. Internet banking is another. Banking business that had to be carried out at bank counters can now be done online. Besides， online wealth management products such as Leftover Treasure and crowdfunding are having considerable impact on traditional financial industry. It is thus plain to see that， under the Internet Plus model， new business types based on the Internet are emerging as traditional forms transform.endprint

An overview of Chinas Internet industry development in 2014 by the Internet Society of China shows that O2O business has taken the lead in mobile app services. In 2014， O2O business expanded its influence in such fields as recruitment， booking movie and travel tickets， catering， taxis， car maintenance， and also beauty and fitness.

Suning Appliances has set a good example. Founded in 1990， the impact of e-commerce on this leading electric appliance retailer in 2010 motivated its adoption via the launch of its shopping website of an online/offline combination. Three years later， the company changed its name to Suning Commerce Group Co.， Ltd.， so signifying its goal of building a cloud business model integrating all distribution channels， product lines， and customer bases. The overview also reveals that， in the course of Chinas economic transformation， industrial Internet has changed not only sales systems， but also those of manufacture， circulation， financing， and delivery. Today in China， platforms geared to the circulation of integrated circuits （IC） components and parts， coal supply chain management and service， and spot steel transactions are taking shape. The overview thus confirms that Internet economy is expanding from a consumption type to that of production， and that the era of industrial Internet has arrived.

Such transformations have already taken root in southeastern Chinas Zhejiang Province. Manufacturing used to be the pillar industry in this region. But this widely-known manufacturing base and small commodity distribution center has embarked on its digital transformation， having recently held the 2015 China International E-commerce Expo and the World Internet Conference. The Internet is no longer just a sales platform. The province is taking moves to build online entrepreneurial platforms， and several towns specializing in Internet industry are being set up. Provincial governor Li Qiang compares the government in the Internet Plus era with a “gardener” who creates a favorable “climate” to provide richer “soil” and amasses quality “seeds，” so sparking the entrepreneurship and enthusiasm to innovate and eventually“plant” an Internet economy “forest.”endprint